Featured Research

from universities, journals, and other organizations

Reacting to personal setbacks: Do you bounce back or give up?

Date:

September 4, 2014

Source:

Rutgers University

Summary:

Sometimes when people get upsetting news – such as a failing exam grade or a negative job review – they decide instantly to do better the next time. In other situations that are equally disappointing, the same people may feel inclined to just give up. How can similar setbacks produce such different reactions? It may come down to how much control we feel we have over what happened, according to new research.

Sometimes when people get upsetting news -- such as a failing exam grade or a negative job review -- they decide instantly to do better the next time. In other situations that are equally disappointing, the same people may feel inclined to just give up.

Related Articles

How can similar setbacks produce such different reactions? It may come down to how much control we feel we have over what happened, according to new research from Rutgers University-Newark. The study, published in the journal Neuron, also finds that when these setbacks occur, the level of control we perceive may even determine which of two distinct parts of the brain will handle the crisis.

"Think of the student who failed an exam," says Jamil Bhanji, a postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers and one of the study's co-authors. "They might feel they wouldn't have failed if they had studied harder, studied differently -- something under their control." That student, Bhanji says, resolves to try new study habits and work hard toward acing the next exam. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) used in the study showed activity in a part of the brain called the ventral striatum -- which has been shown to guide goals based on prior experiences.

A different student might have failed the same test, but believes it happened because the questions were unfair or the professor was mean, things that he could not control. The negative emotions produced by this uncontrollable setback may cause the student to drop the course.

Overcoming those negative emotions and refocusing on doing well in the class may require a more complicated thought process. In cases like this, fMRI revealed that activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a part of the brain that regulates emotions in more flexible ways, is necessary to promote persistence.

Mauricio Delgado, an associate professor of psychology at Rutgers' Newark College of Arts and Sciences and the study's other co-author, says people whose jobs include delivering bad news should pay attention to these results, because their actions might influence how the news is received.

"You may deliver the news to the student -- no sugar coating, here's your setback," says Delgado. "But then you make an offer -- 'would you like to review those study habits with me? I'd be happy to do it.' This puts the student in a situation where they may experience control and be more likely to improve the next time." This approach, Delgado says, may be far more constructive than curtly delivering a bad grade.

Bhanji says lessons from the study may even guide certain people toward giving up too soon on careers where they could do well. "We wonder why there are fewer women and minorities in the sciences, for example," he explains. "Maybe in cases like that it's fair to say there are things we can do to promote reactions to negative feedback that encourage persistence."

That is not to say everyone should persist. "There are times," Delgado adds, "when you should not be persistent with your goals. That's where the striatal system in the brain, which can be a source of more habitual responses, may be a detriment. You keep thinking 'I can do it, I can do it.' But maybe you shouldn't do it. During these times, interpreting the setback more flexibly, via the vmPFC, may be more helpful."

As research continues, adds Bhanji, important areas to explore will include "figuring out when it's worth continuing to keep trying and when it's not."

Rutgers University. "Reacting to personal setbacks: Do you bounce back or give up?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 September 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140904131146.htm>.

Rutgers University. (2014, September 4). Reacting to personal setbacks: Do you bounce back or give up?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140904131146.htm

Rutgers University. "Reacting to personal setbacks: Do you bounce back or give up?." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140904131146.htm (accessed March 3, 2015).

More From ScienceDaily

More Science & Society News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — Limp or firm, your handshake conveys subliminal social cues. Now, research reveals it also transmits chemical signals that could explain why the greeting evolved in the first ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015 — Despite sharp increases in spending on cancer treatment, cancer mortality rates in the United States have decreased only modestly since 1970, a study has found. "Our results suggest that cancer care ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015 — In the first study of its kind since the 1920s, rats in New York City were found to carry a flea species capable of transmitting plague pathogens. Among them: 500-plus Oriental rat fleas, notorious ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015 — The odds of picking a perfect bracket for the NCAA men's basketball March Madness championship tournament are a staggering less than one in 9.2 quintillion (that's 9,223,372,036,854,775,808), ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015 — A survey of US high school students suggests that 1 in 5 female students and 1 in 10 male students who date have experienced some form of teen dating violence (TDV) during the past 12 months. "These ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015 — One of the first American national studies to examine risk factors for use of synthetic marijuana among a large, nationally representative sample of teens. Popular among teens, in 2011, synthetic ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015 — Pediatricians are facing increasing pressure from some parents who want to spread out the recommended vaccine schedule for their children by postponing vaccines, pointing to a need for improved ... full story

Feb. 27, 2015 — Global health experts believe the current data on cancer prevalence, incidence and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa -- which determines how billions of pounds of international development money is ... full story

Feb. 27, 2015 — Suicide rates for adults 40-64 years of age in the US have risen about 40 percent since 1999, with a sharp rise since 2007. One possible explanation could be the detrimental effects of the economic ... full story

Featured Videos

Woman Convicted of Poisoning Son

AP (Mar. 3, 2015) — A woman who blogged for years about her son&apos;s constant health woes was convicted Monday of poisoning him to death by force-feeding heavy concentrations of sodium through his stomach tube. (March 3)
Video provided by AP

Nurse Who Survived Ebola Virus to File Lawsuit

AP (Mar. 2, 2015) — A lawyer for Nina Pham, the 26-year old nurse who survived after contracted the Ebola virus, says the young woman&apos;s &apos;life has changed forever. &apos; Pham is preparing to file a lawsuit against Texas Health Resources for negligence. (March 2)
Video provided by AP

Related Stories

Feb. 24, 2014 — A critical job performance evaluation can have a negative effect on any employee, according to research. By studying how people view positive or negative feedback a researcher has determined that ... full story

Mar. 20, 2013 — Facebook profiles reassure our self-worth because they offer a place where we can display the personal characteristics and relationships we value most, says a communication ... full story

July 18, 2011 — With people often changing jobs and careers, organizations need to know how to help integrate and engage newcomers in order to retain them. A new study shows that new employees adjust better to their ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.